DUPLIN CUP 2025-26
Football sets pace for Tigers’ run to the Cup
JK went to the East Region nal in football and had successful runs in basketball to rule as the top Duplin sports school in 2025-26
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
WARSAW — Winning can be as contagious as an out-of-control wild re.
James Kenan got hot early in the 2025-26 academic season and the momentum lifted the Tigers to the Duplin Cup, given to the best sports school in the county.
JK was better than its three sister schools in part because of how the Tiger females performed across the board.
But it all started two weeks before the start of school when the JK began its gridiron quest.
The Tigers went 12-2 and won the Swine Valley Conference before bowing out to Kinston in the East Region nal.
The all-state softball star was a golden nd for ND in volleyball and basketball
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
CALYPSO — Lilly Fulghum is often not the fastest, nor strongest or most skilled on her athletic surface for a given sport.
She’s a Division I signee at Charlotte, where she will play softball.
Her talent-development and direction hasn’t been altered since well before she took North
CO-MALE ATHLETE
JK used the talent and leadership skills of Jeremiah Hall and Eli Avent to contend in football and basketball
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
WARSAW — Jeremiah Hall was a superstar running the football last fall for James Kenan. Quarterback Eli Avent was a star when called upon and did some big things in his own right. Hall and Avent continued to do what they had always done after JK went 12-2 and lost to Kinston in the East Region nal.
They got ready for basketball.
Hall became an all-Duplin and all-Swine Valley Conference selection by placing numbers in every statistical category.
Avent often started, though he seemed to play as well coming o the bench.
JK had its best season since 2016-17 as a teamwork approach was carried from the gridiron to the hardcourts.
Avent, who will play baseball at Carteret Community College, went on to have a banner diamond season, while Hall, who is heading to Fayetteville State to play football, was mainly a pinch runner. Separating their skills over the course of three seasons is so di cult that making them Co-Male Athlete of the Year is tting.
Duplin to the 1A nals in 2023.
Three years later she delivered the Rebels to the 2A nals and is Female Athlete of the Year in Duplin County.
Even so, it is her competitive drive that turned her from average to all-star level in volleyball and basketball.
Fulghum captured the crown by beating out Wallace-Rose Hill’s Jansley Page (all-state volleyball, all-conference softball, basketball), East Duplin’s Anamarie Rodriguez (all-ECC soccer and track) and Kinsey Cave (all-ECC basketball and softball) and James Kenan’s Y’Anna Rivers (all-
SVC basketball, volleyball) and her basketball teammate Abby Rose (all-CC basketball, soccer).
To the opposition in softball, Fulghum was a multi-skilled all-around player, capable of torching them from inside the circle and at shortstop, while hitting for power, and average and being a top-level baserunner. While few could match her bat speed, she was a menace on the bases because of the way she played the game. If the opposition falls asleep,
PHOTOS BY EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Six Tigers swarm to the football during a fourth-round playo win over Farmville Central. JK went 12-2 and fell in the East Region nal to Kinston.
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Jeremiah Hall, left, and Eli Avent were key senior leaders on and o the gridiron, basketball court and baseball diamond for JK.
Lilly Fulgham has been a feared hitter for four seasons.
Y’Anna Rivers
Zamarion Smith
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK SPONSORED BY BILL CARONE
Ava Noble
East Duplin, softball
Softball season hasn’t ended for Ava Noble, and the word in Panther land is that she’s returning to basketball in the winter.
Noble, who su ered a knee injury and was forced to leave the hoops world, made up for any lost attention she would have garnered this spring on the diamond.
The junior was third in the Journal-area in hitting (.569 with nine doubles, ve triples, three home runs, 40 runs and 25 RBIs) and is playing for Region 2 in the BODYARMOR State Games, which will be played June 23-24 in Greensboro.
Noble, the MVP of the ECCC, hit .538 her freshman campaign as a sign that she was going to make a huge impact on East Duplin’s program.
While she was third to North Duplin’s Lilly Fulghum (.586) and Gracie Higginbotham in average, Noble bashed a county-high 46 hits, which was 12 more than Fulghum and seven more than Higginbotham, who shared the pitching duties.
Noble’s hits broke the school record set by Kari Westerbeek.
All three are in the running for Ms. Softball, which will be announced later this month.
Noble also appears to be a candidate for next season’s Female Athlete of the Year.
She is a dream for any coach given her bat, elding, speed, skills, competitiveness and sports IQ.
Rebels’ Warren caps banner career with all-state honors
ND senior Garris Warren smacked and pitched his way onto the 13-player all-star squad
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
CALYPSO — Garris War -
ren silenced his critics to become the lone Duplin County player on the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association’s postseason all-state list.
The North Duplin senior smacked 33 hits in 68 atbats (.600) and also proved he could pitch with the best hurlers around.
Warren was one of 13 players on the 2A list, which included 2A Pitcher of the Year Cameron Copley of Voyager Academy. Both Warren and Copley yielded two hits during the 2-1 Viking win in the second round of the playo s.
He also proved himself during a 13-0 loss to 2A champ Rosewood on April 22. Warren gave up three runs in 52⁄3 frames and after he exited, the hot-hitting Eagles tacked up 10 runs in the seventh.
Warren had a pair of strong outings during close losses to Hobbton (2-1 and 5-4) that pushed ND to a tie with East Bladen in the Carolina Conference standings.
The CC had two more allstate players – Rosewood’s Robbie Boren and Hobbton’s Ayden Lawson. Hayesville’s Jackson Sellers was the 2A Player of the Year.
East Duplin had several possible all-state candidates in 4A.
But the coaches turned away from catcher Shawn Marshburn (.479, 34 hits), shortstop Jack Tuck (.429, 21 runs, 17 RBIs) and Gavin Holmes (.460, 34 hits, 13 RBIs), who was an all-state player in 2A last season when there were four and not eight classi cations.
James Kenan’s Eli Avent (.500, 27 hits, 23 stolen bases,
16 RBIs) was also left o the 3A list.
Warren hit safely in all but two Rebel games, while boasting a .652 on-base-mark and .782 slugging percentage, scoring 25 times and knocking in 15 runs. He struck out just three times in 68 at-bats and left only 14 runners on base when he stepped into the situation. His nal whi came on March 31. Warren hit .298 with seven doubles as a junior and had a career mark of .352 with 82 hits in 83 games the past four seasons. ND (10-7, 8-4) had another tough loss that hit hard, falling 14-13 in eight innings to East
The following are all-ECC players for spring sports in 2026 as selected by the league’s coaches.
BASEBALL
Player of Year: Sawyer Marshburn, East
Duplin
Pitcher of Year: Brayden Jones, East Duplin
All-ECC
South Lenoir: Braden Barnett, Noah Rouse, Gage Howard, Austin Clements
Southwest Onslow: Kannon Hu man, Cole Jarman, Tito Escalera
East Duplin: Brayden Jones, Sawyer Marshburn, Gavin Holmes, Jack Tuck, JP Murphy and Hayes Lanier
Clinton: Henry Bass, Tyler Hall
Pender: Sean Cummings
Trask: Brantley Lunsford
GOLF
Player of Year: Kenly Welborn,** East
Duplin
All-ECC
• East Duplin: (5) Kenly Welborn, Rylee
Herring, Rivers Robinson, Charles Smith, Sawyer Whaley SOCCER
Player of Year: Anamarie Rodriguez,** East Duplin
All-ECC
Clinton: Jenna Jackson, Laynie Brock, Summer Davis, Katie Hales, Jenna Grace
Rose Trask: Nayeli Sanchez, Kimberly Morales
Martinez, Riley-Grace Parker, Dakota
Jordan
East Duplin: Anamarie Rodriguez
South Lenoir: Natalie Stroud
SOFTBALL
Player of Year: Ava Noble, East Duplin
Pitcher of Year: Jade Sasnett, South Lenoir
All-ECC
East Duplin: Ava Noble, Sophia Jones, Zoe
Columbus on March 10. A setback to East Bladen dropped the Rebels to 1-3. They rallied for wins in six of their next seven games and then three in a row, which ended with a 10-0 rst-round triumph over Eno River Academy.
And while just a little more might have been expected from the Rebels, no one could ever say Warren wasn’t a star between the lines and a leader outside of them. Warren was an all-Duplin DB/LB last fall with 46 tackles and three interceptions. He had six picks during his junior campaign. ND went 19-3 over two seasons with Warren in its lineup.
Turner, Ansley Hunter, Leighton Davis
South Lenoir: Makenzie Herring, Jade Sasnett, Rylan Wade, Carley Boone, Jersey Sasnett, Lily Cole
Trask: Jaylen Reece-Murray, Lauren Hall, Dava Bullard, Taylor Sparkman
Pender: Kaylee Woodcock, Kenyatta
Jacobs
SWO: Whitney Grissett
Clinton: Niah Torres
TENNIS
Player of Year: Camden Parker, Clinton
All-Conference
Clinton: Camden Parker, James Sinclair, Cullen Brewer, Will Johnson
East Duplin: Seth Brown, Parker Dupree
Pender: Jayden Lopez
BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD
Track & Field MVP: Branson Norris, East Duplin
All-ECC
East Duplin: Brandon Norris, Keeshon McKinnie, Zach Ball, James Matas, D.J. Davis, Ali Flow, Aaron Hall
South Lenoir: Kole Burkett, Jamison
Gautier, Jack Rouse, Wesley Vernon, Isaiah Howard, John Jones, Eric Fields
Southwest:Zavier Davis
Trask: Sawyer Davis
GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD
Track and Field MVP: Zy’Ashia Newton, East Duplin
TRACK MVP: Angela Hernandez, East Duplin
FIELD MVP: Andrea Scarborough, East Duplin
All-ECC
East Duplin: Zy’Ashia Newton, Angela Hernandez, Andrea Scarborough, Kate Miller, Brooklyn Bryan, Anna Brown, Anamarie Rodriguez, Tabor Holley, Alaina Delarosa, JaKayla Carr
Trask: Sophie Williamson, Alexis Wilson, Mati McPherson, Janiya Kelly-Green, Laila
Ballard South Lenoir: Bryanna Poole
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Garris Warren was the ace of the ND sta and in the past two falls made 10 interceptions for the Rebels’ grid team.
ECC HONOR ROLL SPRING 2026
obituaries
Emily Mary Colt
March 11, 1984 –May 29, 2026
It is with great sorrow and sadness that Emily Mary Colt, age 42, of Rose Hill, North Carolina left this world way too soon on Friday, May 29, 2026.
She was born March 11, 1984, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to William “Bill” and Mary Russo Colt of Pennsylvania. She was the oldest of ve children.
Emily was the life of her family. She was a simple lady who enjoyed the simplest things in life but her greatest joy was her family. She loved Edgar with all her heart along with her parents and siblings. But Emily didn’t stop with family. She loved everyone. She loved life and lived it to its fullest. Being a cheerful young lady and full of love she never met a stranger. In fact, everyone Emily met became her best friend. She loved her career as an arts and music teacher where she taught children much more than art and music. She taught them to love each other and how to make the world a better place. Emily adored her students and was loved in return. With a big heart, she took care of everyone and would give the shirt o her back to whoever needed it. Emily was a beautiful lady inside and out. She would light up any room she entered with her sweet personality and joyful spirit.
Emily was loved by everyone but especially by those in the Clinton community where she touched so many young lives through the years. Emily will surely be missed but never forgotten.
Surviving in addition to her mother and father, is her loving husband, Edgar Moncada of the home; her sisters, Rose Colt of Cambridge, PA and Maria Colt and husband, Nathaniel of Kensington, MD; brothers, William Colt of Erie, PA and Domonic Colt of McKean, PA; mother and father-in-law, Angela Moncada and Manuel Treto; stepbrother, Stephen Treto and wife, Jennie; maternal grandmother, Theresa Russo; nephews, Stephen and Gabriel Treto; her precious fur babies, Cooper, Chance, Rocky, Cleo and Torro and numerous extended family and friends that loved Emily dearly.
Memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home Wallace Chapel, 612 S Norwood Street, Wallace, NC 28466.
The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service at the funeral home.
Faye
Nov. 14, 1956 – June 1, 2026
Carol Faye Jenkins, 69, of Leland, NC entered eternal rest June 1, 2026 at her residence. A Celebration of Life service will be noon Saturday, June 6, 2026 at Hooper’s Chapel Baptist Church, 3627 Dogwood Road, Leland, NC. Public viewing one hour prior to the service from 11 a.m. – noon. Interment following the service at Jenkins-McClearn Cemetery in Leland, NC.
Betty Nevis
Jan. 28, 1943-May 29, 2026
It is with profound sadness and the deepest love that we announce the peaceful transition of our beloved Mother/Grandma into her eternal rest.
Surrounded by family and everlasting love she nished her race with grace, faith and style on May 29th 2026.
She was born to farmers in the harsh winter of 1943- as the oldest of 5 children- the weight of her station in the family required her to take on the adult roles of helping tend the farm and managing the family-becoming a secondary mother to her siblings. This created an unbreakable bond between them and they have remained close all their lives.
Early adulthood found her married with 3 beautiful childrenJoe, Je and Judy and she raised them happily even through the most di cult times, until they made their way successfully into the world.
Her heart had such a love for children that she also became a foster mom to kids in need while she was rearing her own. Showing Love was an unspoken language she mastered, and she shared it with everyone she met- never meeting a stranger.
When her older children were grown with families of their own, she was happily surprised to learn that she was expecting her last child- Amy Though the dynamic seemed strange to a lot of people, she never waivered.
She poured her complete self into her children and we are eternally grateful. From those 4 children have come many grandchildren and some greatgrandchildren, all of which she loved dearly and was a signi cant presence in their lives with her guidance and wisdom. Her grandchildren were her greatest joy, the lights of her life and the stars in her crown.
And although there are many small souls she never got a chance to meet while here- she gets to love on them today and for the rest of eternity, until we can all reunite again.
Equally as important as her family was her relationship with God. Anyone that knew her personally understands that her life was dedicated to the service of Christ and the church. She was faithful in her personal relationship with God and shared her knowledge and understanding of the scriptures with all who desired to learn.
Most notable was her gift of music… sharing the word through song was truly her passion. Her hands running down keys of ivory and black or her ngers dancing across the pulled strings of her guitar are memories rooted in the very deepest parts of our hearts. Always singing, always praising and always in the state of worship… precious memories. She thought of it not as work but as a privilege and it gave her joy ful lling her calling. Upon being called home she was greeted by multiple family members who have been patiently waiting to see her again.
As for those of us who remain: Joe, Je , Judy, Amy Grandchildren: Melissa, Joseph, Allen, Kepsia, Carlos, Gabriel and Tavyn.
Visitation took place on June 5 at Pink Hill Funeral Home followed by the funeral service and a private burial.
Avonna Johnson
Friday, May 29, 2026
Avonna H. Johnson, 88, loving mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother passed away peacefully on Friday, May 29, 2026, at her home surrounded by her children.
Avonna was preceded in death by her husband, Charles C. Johnson; father, Charles B. Harrison; mother, Mable K. Harrison; brother, Gene “Bro” Harrison and son-in-law, Sam Colie..
Avonna was a 1956 graduate of Jones Senoir High School and a retired bookkeeper for Deep Run Water Corporation. She loved sports whether watching her children and grandchildren play or looking at baseball and basketball on TV. She enjoyed her many trips to Walmart and sh stew on Fridays at Fat Baby’s.
Avonna is survived by her daughters, Kathy Jones (Carl), Jennifer Smith (Briley); and. son, Gary Johnson (Tracy); brother, Bobby Harrison; grandchildren, Charlie Colie (Lara), Eddie Colie, Jake Johnson, Josh Johnson, Madison Howard (Justin), Mary Grace Beyer, Adam Jones, Erin Williams (Tyler), Allison Siebel, Emily Smith and Caroline Smith. She is also survived by her greatgrandchildren, Luke Colie, Kelly Colie, Mason Howard, Jackson Howard, Emma Williams, Jackson Williams, Isabel Siebel, William Siebel, Jackson Rogers, Emmie Rogers, and Christopher Rogers; special cousin and caregiver, Mollie Dawson; several brothers-in- law and cousins who called her by her childhood nickname “Honey” and fur baby Raven. A special thank you to 3HC and nurse Gwen for their compassionate care of our mother. Visitation took place on June 2, 2026 at Pink Hill Funeral Home. Graveside service was held on June 3 at Oak Ridge Memorial Park in Pink Hill.
Lawrence Arnold Stroud
May 14, 1948 ~ June 6, 2026
Lawrence Arnold Stroud, 78, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, June 6, 2026. He was a loving husband and father.
Lawrence is survived by his wife, Debrah King Stroud; son, Seth Stroud; daughters, Jennifer Frederick, Bryan Chambers, and Rikki Sanderson; brothers, Jerry Stroud and Marion “Burr” Stroud. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren and 5 greatgrandchildren. Memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Pink Hill Funeral Home.
QUINN MCGOWEN FUNERAL HOME
Patrick Filippone
June 3, 2026
Patrick R. Filippone of Wallace (NC) departed his earthly life early on Tuesday morning while a resident of Wallace Gardens in Wallace (NC). Born on Dec. 2, 1949, he is the son of the late Frank and Antoinette Filippone. He was also preceded in death by a sister—Elise Testa.
Left to cherish his memory are his children—Marisa Sara Filippone of Easthampton (MA) and Samantha Nicole Filippone and son-in-law Chad Tuttle of Wilmington (NC); grandchild— Forest Abeles of Easthampton (MA); and nephew—Matthew Testa of Howell (NJ).
Mr. Filippone was born in Newark (NJ). He worked a great deal of his career in the insurance industry as an insurance analyst. He had a great love of baseball, especially for the New York Yankees. He also had a tremendous love of music with emphasis in “rock” with groups such as Procol Harum. No services are planned at this point in time.
Harold Cruse
June 4, 2026
Harold Scott Cruse, 56, entered his Eternal Home on Thursday, June 4, 2026. He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Cruse; grandparents, Donnie and Mildred Craft, Daniel and Luvenia Cruse; and special aunt, Estelle Sanderson.
Scott worked for 25 years at Electrolux and was an avid Carolina fan. He loved country music and the beach. He loved children and was really good with them. Scott was a faithful member of Friendship Free Will Baptist Church in Pink Hill where he served as an usher and was a church trustee.
Scott is survived by his mother, Joyce Cruse; aunts, Carolyn Jones, Jane Short and Shelia Jenkins and uncles, Bobby Craft (Ellen), Donald “Duck” Craft, Thomas Cruse and Billy Cruse. Funeral service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 8, 2026 at Pink Hill Funeral Home. Visitation will follow the service. Entombment will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at Oak Ridge Memorial Park in Pink Hill. Scott was a compassionate soul and will be greatly missed.
Erma Atkinson
Oct. 7, 1936 – June 4, 2026
For 89 years our world was blessed by the life of Erma Howard Atkinson. On Thursday, June 4, 2026 Erma was welcomed into her heavenly home.
Born October 7, 1936 in Onslow County Erma was the daughter of Thomas Simpson Howard and Katie Basden Howard. In addition to her parents she was predeceased by her husband, Claude McRoney Atkinson; daughters, Wanda Kay Grant, Ellen Miller and Peggy Eury; brothers, Simpson “Bud” Howard and Vernon Whaley Sr.; sisters, Mae Carter and Thelma Craft; great, great, great granddaughter, Raelynn Atkinson; her beloved canine companion, Oreo River. Erma graduated from Beulaville High School in 1955. Early in Erma’s life she was a telephone operator in Jacksonville, NC and San Anna, CA. She met and married Claude in 1980 and they both worked at New Hanover County Animal Control. Erma and Claude moved to Pender County in 1986 where they had a big vegetable garden together sharing the fruits of their labors with family and folks in the community. Erma later worked at GE in housekeeping for 11 years before retiring at the age of 70. Erma loved and prayed for everyone and told them about Jesus. Though she will be deeply missed, her legacy of faith, love, and words of wisdom will live on in the hearts of family and friends forever.
Surviving are her children, Dereta G. Atkinson (Anthony), Lester L. Grant, Ginny Gentry (Ken), John Dombroski, Kristin Dombroski, Cynthia A. Rivenbark (Jason), Arlan Atkinson (Rebecca) and Susan Hunter (Edward); twenty-two grandchildren including Elizabeth Atkinson who lived with and helped to care for Erma; thirty-two great grandchildren; four great great grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Gracie Atkinson, Rosa Pierce, and Nancy Whaley; brothers-inlaw, Donald Atkinson, Lawerence Atkinson (Debbie), and Vinnie Atkinson; many nieces, nephews, and friends. Not to be forgotten her fur buddy, Ariel Daisy.
Funeral service will be 11:00 am Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at Jordan’s Chapel Methodist Church with Pastor Darren Poe and Pastor Lenier Furr o ciating.
The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at 10:00 am at the church.
Burial will follow in Riverview Memorial Park.
Shared memories and condolences may be sent to the family by selecting Tribute Wall. A service of Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home Burgaw Chapel.
Carol
Jenkins
Duplin hog farmer marks 36 years in agriculture
Jane Munoz grew up on a family farm and now helps train the next generation of workers at Murphy Family Farms
By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal
JANE MUNOZ knows her way around a farm. She should, she grew up in a farm family.
“My father had a pig and cow farm, and we grew crops like tobacco, corn and beans,” Munoz said in a recent interview with Duplin Journal.
Naturally, she was a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school.
In her senior year, her father died. That brought work on the family farm to a halt. “I decided to go to James Sprunt (Community College) for two years for animal science,” Munoz said. While attending JSCC, she worked for Murphy Family Farms.
“I decided I didn’t have to continue going to school, so I just started working with Mur-
phy’s fulltime. I’ve been there ever since.”
This month, Munoz will celebrate her 36th year working for Murphy Family Farms. Today, she is the manager of a sow farm, which has evolved
into work involving much more than just hog farming.
“I do a lot of training and a lot of predicting future animals on our farm,” she said. “I have to do a lot of charts and graphs to predict what we’re go -
ing to be selling in the future.”
On the training part of her job, she says she is required to train her employees on the work required to do on hog farms. In essence, she is passing along her years of ex-
perience to thos new in the business.
Speaking of training, Munoz considered at one time becoming a teacher. In a sense she has become a teacher, just an onthe-job one.
She says those interested in agriculture as a career have many opportunities today through internships. She said local operations, including Murphy, Smith eld and Prestige, all o er internships to young people. She said she believes FFA is a great resource, too.
At a recent pork event in Clinton, called Pork Forward, both N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and Ray Starling, general counsel for N.C. Chamber, shared encouraging numbers for animal agriculture, which has been a major contributor to Duplin County’s economy for years.
When Munoz, with her years of experience in the industry, was asked if she thought the pork industry’s future looked bright, Munoz’s answer was straightforward.
“Yes, it does.”
MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Jane Munoz stands at the edge of a sow farm she manages in rural Duplin County.